Legolas found Boromir and Faramir near the spot where he had left them, his grief now replaced by anger.

Why had they let Eowyn go by herself? Where had they been? What had they been doing?

His questions were answered when he saw dead orcs around them; they had been attacked too.

Faramir looked up from a dead orc and faced Legolas.

"Where's Eowyn?"

Legolas clutched the evenstar pendant tightly in his hand.

"She's dead."

Faramir widened his eyes in shock, Boromir refused to meet Legolas' gaze. Glancing at the dead orcs Legolas asked, "What happened?"

"We were attacked almost as soon as you left. Boromir and I held them off and told Eowyn to run..."

Faramir stopped and looked away.

Legolas didn't have time to find out how he and Boromir had managed to fight off the orcs, they had to move.

Without thinking about it he put the pendant around his neck. He would make sure that Aragorn got it back, and that he learned about what had befallen Eowyn.

"Come on. We have to move."

"What about Eowyn? Can't we bury her?"
Faramir asked, grief lacing his words.

"We have no time. More orcs will be upon us soon and we must reach the desert."

Faramir sighed but went to get his brother.

Legolas waited for them to get ready, once they were he led them towards the mountains.

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They were almost there; so close to escaping Mordor. Boromir carefully climbed up the rocks that littered that mountainside.

He couldn't believe what had just happened. Eowyn was dead. First Pippin, and now Eowyn. Would there be no end to all this death? The question that continued to race through his mind was, Why wasn't it me?

Legolas hadn't said a word to him since they'd left.

No doubt he blamed him for Eowyn's death and he was right to do so. He should have stopped her from going, it was his fault, everything was his fault.

Faramir stumbled and almost fell. Whatever strength Legolas had given him was fading.

The elf hadn't stopped and continued to climb. Boromir called out, "We have to slow down! He cannot go as fast as we can."

Legolas looked down at him and narrowed his eyes.

"If we linger we will be caught again. Do you want that to happen?"

"Of course not! But we have to slow down or he will not make it."
Legolas said nothing but waited for them to catch up. Once they did he immediately resumed climbing.

Boromir narrowed his eyes. He didn't know why but ever since he had met the elf there had always been tension between the two.

He had never trusted Legolas, or liked him. He remembered when Legolas had defended Aragorn in Rivendell. What business did he have with men? Absolutely nothing.

He was an elf who had his own people to worry about. Why couldn't he have been like the rest of his kind? Quiet and hidden, avoiding the affairs of men.

But Legolas had known Aragorn for years, how had they become such loyal friends?

Legolas had been kind to everyone in the Fellowship but he had distanced himself from Boromir. After he had taken the ring Aragorn hadn't tried to kill him, he tried to help him. But Legolas hadn't hesitated to pull out his bow.

Aragorn and the others had wanted to help him. Legolas wanted to kill him, he had tried to twice.

But the last time he could have, he didn't. After he heard that he had killed Pippin he almost killed him, but had stopped when he told him that Sauron had been forcing him to choose between Pippin or his brother.

Why? What does he care about Faramir?

Maybe it wasn't Faramir, maybe it was something else.

Boromir shook his thoughts away. He needed to focus. They finally reach the top of the cliff they had been climbing. They stood next to each other in silence. An endless desert was spread out before them.

Legolas began leading them down the side of the mountain. Boromir couldn't believe it. They had made it out of Mordor, they were free.

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The sand felt strange under Faramir's feet. He had been so used to stone that the soft ground seemed unnatural.

He ignored it and looked to Legolas. The elf was staring ahead and hardly moving at all. Boromir walked up to the elf and asked, "Where do we go now?"

"North." Legolas replied.

Without another word Legolas began walking. Faramir almost fell over in exhaustion. Would they ever be able to rest?

He followed them without complaint across the desert sand. Wind had begun to blow and it whipped the sand around in the air.

It got into his eyes and stung, the air was dry and humid...

Water....

He needed water.....

But there was none, they had no food or water.

We've only made it out of Mordor to die in the desert.

Yet they kept going, and Faramir couldn't take it any longer, his strength was failing him. Without warning he stumbled forward and almost fell. Boromir whipped around and stared at him in alarm.

"I'm all right Boromir." He assured him quickly.

"No you're not, you're exhausted. You have to rest."

Boromir turned to Legolas with anger in his eyes. The elf showed no sign of concern for his brother.

"We have to stop."

"We cannot," Legolas replied stubbornly, "If we do Sauron's orcs will catch us, and there are other servants of Sauron other than orcs."

Faramir remembered the Haradrim, they lived in the desert south of Mordor. If they were to find them...

His thoughts were interrupted by Boromir.

"If we keep going like this he will die. Is that what you want?"

"I have had enough death. I do not wish to have more from the enemy."

"You're afraid of him," Boromir took a step forward, Legolas didn't even flinch. You are afraid of Sauron! You'd rather us both die than have to face him again!"

"That is not true." Legolas responded coldly.

"It is true! All this time you haven't bothered with Faramir or I! It was always Eowyn or Pippin, but now that they're gone all you care abiut is yourself!"

"If I did not care for either of you I would have left you to the orcs. I would not have risked myself for you."

"I didn't ask you to!"

Faramir watched the two argue. Boromir's hands were clenched into fists and Legolas' eyes were daggers.

"Why do you care so much for mortals Legolas? Why do you keep fighting a hopeless battle? Day after day you continue to oppose Sauron, you risk your life for those who would never do the same for you., your people are gone and you have no one left! You have no place in this world! You don't belong in it and you never have!"

Faramir stared in shock at his brother. Why did he say that?

"Boromir!"

His brother faced him with anger in his eyes. Faramir glared at him but said nothing, he didn't know what to say.

Legolas, stared at them both in silence, taking in everything Boromir had just said to him.

"You are right," he said softlt, "I do not belong in this world."

Both men stared at him in surprise while Legolas' face remained expressionless.

"I have never fit in with my people and I have always been different. I concerned myself with others instead of my own kind, I could not fit in with them. It was impossible after Sauron captured me. I was no longer the same elf who had once lived among them; I was a fighter, a killer. That is all I knew how to do and no one could help me."

Legolas paused. He took in a breath before continuing.

"My people are gone, there is no one left. All there is now are men, dwarves, hobbits, and orcs. I have no place now and I do not owe anyone on this earth anything. So why do I keep fighting?"

Boromir glanced at Faramir who didn't meet his gaze.

"I fight the enemy because I must. I cannot escape this evil, I cannot leave like the other elves, I cannot grow old and die, I cannot hide from it. I have no choice, I have seen what Sauron can do and i know of his wickedness and power. It must be stopped. And whether that happens in your time or not it does not matter. For as long as there is life in me I will fight against the enemy, whether I have a place here or not."

After he had finished he turned around and began walking, not waiting to see if they were following. Faramir glanced at Boromir who said nothing. Faramir went after Legolas and Boromir followed Faramir in silence.